Next-Generation Communications Protocols for Advanced Smart Grid Applications

The number of endpoints on utility-owned machine-to-machine (M2M) networks continues to balloon, reaching from tens of thousands to millions of devices. The constant collection and transmission of information from these points is taxing utilities’ ability to manage networks, utilize data, and ensure cost-ef ective network access for protection and control applications.

This whitepaper will examine communications challenges that are now facing utilities deploying private communications infrastructure to support automated metering infrastructure (AMI) and distribution automation (DA) applications. It will conclude with a discussion of solutions and best practices that utilities should consider while planning AMI and DA communications deployments.